Marketing folks at UA -- as well as other legacy carriers -- love threads such as this.
OP apparently does not like UA or its fare structure. But, he is apparently NYC-based. So, why is he still flying UA?
If the grass is greener on DL or AA xLGA/JFK or AA xPHL, then by all means fly those carriers. At places such as NYC and CHI, there is no such thing as a "fortress hub", rather they are self-made "captive hubs".